Listening to the Bible, praying before every meal, and other resolutions for 2014

.Most of us are guilty of making and breaking New Year's resolutions and it's with that in mind that the Diocese of Hereford has sent out a list of suggestions that it says are simpler to keep and should last longer than a month.

The list has been sent out to churchgoers in the Diocese of Hereford, which covers Herefordshire, South Shropshire and some parishes in Wales and Worcestershire.

The idea is to give them a helping hand in making some resolutions that are not only doable but also worth the effort.

The list includes listening to the Bible each day for 28 minutes, reading a book from the diocese's suggested reading list, say a prayer of thanks for food and family before every meal, or joining one of the Pilgrim Courses running in the diocese in 2014.

Other practical ideas include organising a regular weekly or monthly coffee and chat at church, volunteering at a local charity shop, or setting up a Facebook page for the church.

"The list is an open one in that it currently has a dozen suggestions but is open to ideas from others to add more ideas if they want to," says Anni Holden, Director of Communications for the Diocese and responsible for the website.

"We can all think of the obvious ones like drink less, be nicer to others, get fitter and lose weight , all of which we – or do I mean 'I' - will have failed dismally at before the end of January. What is suggested on our website is simpler, can be practical and could last longer than a month."

The list of resolutions for 2014 can also be found online at www.hereford,anglican.org and those who want to make suggestions are asked to email Anni Holden at a.holden@hereford.anglican.org.

"The idea is to help people do something other than they would normally do," Annie continues. "We want people to think about their prayer life and hopefully try something new like using the Diocesan Prayer Diary effectively, setting aside a certain time each day to pray or even starting a prayer group. That prayer group could be online.

"We also want them to think about helping others with practical suggestions like working in a charity shop or offering secretarial skills to their vicar. We just want people to think a bit more widely about what they might do in 2014."